Face Down
by qute-babie-dasey
Summary: Casey has a problem. And the only person that can help her is the one person she thought she hated. But what if she doesn't want his or anybody else's help? Can Derek get through to her? Story better than summary. Dasey.
1. Prologue

**Hello, hello :) This is my new story. It is kind of a dark dasey. Hope you like it :) **

**Enjoy! **

**Disclaimer: I don't own LWD.**

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><p>There was a knock on Casey's bedroom door. She quickly pulled her shirt over her belly to cover the bruise before turning away from the mirror.<p>

"Come in." She said quietly.

"Hey Casey" Her little sister, Lizzie, came in and sat down on her bed.

"Hi Lizzie" Casey sat down on her computer chair. "What's up?"

Lizzie sighed. "You tell me. You missed dinner. Again."

"Uhm. I told mom that I had a big lunch." Casey said quickly, not meeting her gaze.

Lizzie looked at her big sister, unconvinced. "Are you sure?"

"Yeah."

"But-" Lizzie started to protest.

"What is this? Twenty questions"? Casey asked, irritated.

Lizzie flinched. "No, I'm just worried about you." She said, getting up.

"I'm fine." Casey snapped and turned away. Lizzie sighed and walked out without saying another word.

Casey looked back at her closed door and sighed shakily. Tears started to fall down her cheeks.

###

"You're late." Casey's boyfriend, Max, growled from the driver's seat as she got into the passenger's seat. She was held up an extra minute because her mom wanted to talk to her about babysitting the coming Friday.

"I-I'm sorry." She stammered. "My mom needed to talk to me."

"I don't need to hear your excuses. Just don't let it happen again." Max snapped. "You don't want to make me mad. Do you?"

"No." Casey whispered. As they drove to school, Max was telling her about how his football practise went. Not wanting to get him angry, Casey nodded to let him know that she was listening.

When they got to school, Max walked her to her locker. He kissed her and went to his own locker. Casey sighed, relieved that the morning had gone relatively smoothly, and she was able to escape unscarred. Atleast for the next couple of hours.

"Steve is having a party on Friday." Max told Casey during lunch that afternoon. "I'll pick you up at 7?" He made it sound like a question, but Casey knew that he did not expect her to argue.

Casey looked down. "Uh, I can't go. I promised my mom that I would babysit this Friday."

Max glared at her. He didn't say anything since they were infront of their, mostly his, friends. However, Casey knew what was coming later. She picked at her salad, trying not to look at him.

"Casey!" Max grabbed her arm. She was waiting for him by his car after school. He opened the passenger door and pushed her in. He got in on the drivers seat and glared at her. She didn't look at him.

Casey felt a sharp pain on her cheek. She glanced at him, her eyes were starting to sting from the tears.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" Max yelled at her. "Do you like embarassing me like that?" Before she got a chance to repond, he slapped her again. "You are going to that party." He demanded, ending the conversation.

When he drove up to her house, Max sighed and turned to her. He took her hand. "Baby. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have lost my temper like that." He said softly. "But you really gave me no choice. You completely humiliated me infront of my friends. You understand that, right?"

Casey nodded. "I understand. I'm sorry." She whispered. She gave him a small smile. This was the Max she loved, and she knew that he loved her back.

He smiled and kissed her hand. "I really would love it if you came to that party with me. I just love showing you off to everyone."

Casey looked into his eyes. "I'll be there." She promised.

###

Derek watched as Max drove away after dropping Casey off. He didn't know exectly why, but Derek hated him. Maybe it was because they were sports rivals at school, or maybe it had to do with the fact that ever since she started dating Max, Casey was not herself. And Derek did not like that. He walked into the house to find everyone but Casey, already getting ready to eat dinner. He dropped his stuff on the floor and went to join his family. As he sat down, he looked at Casey's empty chair and sighed.

"What is it this time?" He asked Nora, nodding at the unoccupied seat.

"She said that she had a test to study for." Nora told him.

"No she doesn't. We have the same classes and we don't have anything coming up this week."

"Oh, well then I must have heard wrong. Maybe she's working on some project." Nora shrugged. She turned back to George and began talking about work. Derek shook his head. Parents could be so oblivious sometimes. He looked at Lizzie who gave him a sympathetic shrug. She knew how he felt. She was worried about her sister as well.

Normally, Derek wouldn't have given Casey another thought, but she was honestly starting to worry him. She was changing way too much, and not in a good way.

After dinner, Derek decided to bring Casey her dinner. He knocked on her door quietly, trying not to disturb her too much.

"Come in"

He opened the door and saw her lying on her bed, not doing her homework at all.

"I brought you some food." He told her as he set the tray down on her desk. "Are you okay?"

Casey gave him a confused glance. "I'm fine." She said slowly. "I'm just not all that hungry." Derek raised his eyebrows. "What? Why are you giving me that look?" She asked, getting irrtated.

Derek put his hands up defensivly. "Nothing. It's just that you're never hungry these days." He told her. He opened the door and left.

Casey sighed.

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><p><strong>Hope you liked that. This chapter doesn't really go into depth yet, but I am sure you have an idea of what is kind of going on.<strong>

**R&R please :)**


	2. Bruises

**:) And for the person who asked me if I was going to use the song "Face Down" in the story, the answer is Yes :) That was my plan all along. LOL**

**Disclaimer: I still don't own LWD :(**

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><p>Since it was the end of May, the temperature started to rise during the day. Casey had put on a sweater that morning but had to take it off because of the heat, forgetting why she put it on in the first place. As soon as Max saw her bare arms that afternoon, he threw a fit. He grabbed her arm and pulled her to a desserted hallway.<p>

"What the hell is wrong with you?" He hissed. "I thought I told you to cover yourself up when you're in public."

"I-I" Casey tried to think of what to say to get him to calm down.

Before she could respond, he punched her on the arm. She shut her eyes tightly and bit her lip. She willed herself not to cry.

"How could you be so irresponsible? Do you want me to get in shit for this? Because I will." Max told her. "You and I may know that this is no big deal, but others won't think so. God Casey! How could you do this to me?"

"No Max." Casey looked down, ashamed. "You're right. I should be more careful. I promise that I won't let people see all this. I'll try harder." She hugged him. After they pulled apart, Max gave her his jacket so she could cover her bruise covered arms.

###

Derek glared as he watched Max and Casey walking down the hall, holding hands. His glare deepened when he noticed that Casey wearing Max's football jacket.

"Dude!" Sam called to get Derek's attention. "Did you not hear me?"

"What?" Derek asked, confused.

"I asked you if you were going to Steve's party on Friday." Sam said. "What's up with you lately?"

Derek looked at Max and Casey before turning to his best friend. He shook his head. "Nothing man. Yeah I'm going. I always go." He tried to sound cool. Sam however did not buy it. He looked at him with a confused expression, but decided to let it go.

"Whatever. Let's go. We're going to be late for class."

###

"Casey!" She turned to see Derek coming towards her. "I need to talk to you."

"Okay? What do you want Derek?" She asked.

"What is up with you and Max? There is something weird going on." He demanded.

Casey narrowed her eyes. "There is nothing going on, except that he's my boyfriend. Everything is great." She said defensively. "What's it to you anyway?"

Derek looked at her. "I'm just worried."

"Well, there's no reason for that." They both turned to see Max. "Isn't that right Casey?" He looked at his girlfriend threateningly.

Casey looked at Max before turning to Derek. "Of course. Like I said before, everything is great." She said.

Max smiled, clrealy satisfied and put his arm around her. Then he glared at Derek. "See? Everything's great." The two of them looked at each other for about a minute, challenging each other.

Then Derek looked at Casey, hoping she would take back what she said, but when she didn't, he shook his head and walked away.

"Yeah! That's right Venturi! Walk away!" Max called after him. Casey looked down and bit her lip. Then, when she felt Max's eyes on her, she looked up at him and smiled.

###

When Casey got home, she saw that Derek was the only one there. He was sitting in his chair, watching t.v. He didn't even look at her.

"Hey. Where is everyone?" She asked.

Derek glanced at her quickly before focusing on the telveision once again. "They went shopping."

"All of them?"

Derek sighed. "Yes." He didn't say anything else, which was the signal for Casey that the conversation was over. She started towards the stairs, but stopped and turned towards Derek.

"Look Der, I'm sorry for what happened earlier." She whispered. "But I stand by what I said." She said, her voice shaking. When Derek didn't look at her, she went up the stairs to her room. She closed the door and leaned against it. Tears formed in her eyes as she choked out a sob. "Please stay out of this before you get hurt as well Derek." She whispered.

_Once Derek was gone, Max grabbed her arm roughly. "Listen to me you little bitch, I don't know what you told him to make him stick his butt into our business, but you better make sure that that stupid step-brother of yours backs off." He warned. "Unless you want something to happen not only to you, but to him as well." He slapped her and then walked away._

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><p><strong>:) R&amp;R please<strong>


	3. Watch

**Hello, hello :)**

**Enjoy! **

**Disclaimer: I don't own LWD.**

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><p>Casey did everything she could think of, but she was not able to get out of babysitting on Friday. And that scared the hell out of her, she knew Max would be furious, and that she would be punished. Surprisingly though, he seemed to take it well.<p>

"Oh that's okay babe. We can spend the evening in tonight." He told her. He put his arm around her and pulled her in for a kiss. Casey relaxed as she kissed him back, completely relieved. However, she did not think about why Max would be okay with the change of plans. Everyone was supposed to be gone, even Lizzie and Edwin, who were going to a sleep over. Max was excited, this would be the night.

Derek has not spoken to Casey ever since the little incident with Max, but that did not mean that he wasn't still worried about her. So when he found out that Max was coming to help Casey babysit, he was less than enthusiastic about it, and he even almost stayed home. Casey, who didn't want any trouble, begged him to go to the party, and promised him that everything would be fine. So he reluctantly agreed.

However as soon as it was a little past Marti's bedtime, Derek felt like Casey might need him, so he decided to go back home.

And he was right, because as soon as Marti was put to bed, Max took Casey to her room and tried to have a little fun with her. Of course Casey refused, and when she did, she got the worst beating yet. She tried to beg him to stop, but Max just continued to punch, slap and kick her. All the while trying to force himself on her. She was crying and sobbing, and regretting with all her heart that she made Derek go to that party. She hoped and prayed that this would soon be over, but then she realized that it would never be over, that this would be her life. Max was never going to stop. That thought shatterred her, and at that moment she thought that she would rather die than live like this. Just then, Max punched her in the head and she passed out.

###

Derek ran into the house and darted up the stairs as soon as he heard the screaming that was coming from Casey's room.

He kicked that door open and found Max laying on top of a struggling Casey. Just as he came in, Max threw a hard punch to Casey's head. Before he could do anything else though, Derek grabbed Max and threw him into the dresser, nearly breaking it in the process.

"What the hell?" Max yelled, getting up and running at Derek. He almost punched him, but Derek beat him to it, sending him to the floor.

"I suggest that you get the hell out of my house and the hell out Casey's life you fucking bastard, before I kill you with my bare hands!" Derek threatened, completely shaking with rage.

Max glared at him. "I'll leave for now, but you watch, Casey will beg me to come back."

Derek let out a bitter laugh. "Yeah right. After what you pulled tonight? Don't count on it." He growled.

"Like I said. You watch." Max said as he left.

Derek looked down at Casey, who was still passed out on her bed, and ran to her. "Casey! Wake up!" He pleaded.

He leaned forward and whispered in her ear, "Casey. Wake up baby. Please wake up." But Casey just lay there, not responding. Derek, completely panicking at this point, took his cell out of his pocket and dialed.

"Emily! Oh my god. I need you to come and watch Marti. It's an emergency." He said as soon as she picked up.

"Uh-I'll be right over."

Derek hung up and wiped his tear streaked face. "I'll kill him. If anything happens to her, I swear I'll kill him." He vowed. He picked her up and took her his car. He gently placed her in the back seat.

"Derek! What the hell is going on?" Emily came up behind him. She looked at Casey and then back at Derek. "What happened?" She demanded.

"Max." He seethed.

###

Casey woke up and found herself in a hospital room. As she tried to look around, her head started pounding.

"Ahh." She cringed. She touched her forehead, and felt a bandage. Then she felt pressure on her other hand. She looked down to find Derek holding her hand. He was leaning forward in his chair with his head on the side of her bed, and he was sleeping.

"What the-?" Casey whispered. She tried to pull her hand out of his grasp, but as soon as she moved, he woke up.

"What's going on?" He jumped up, completely alert. First he looked around, and then at Casey. "Oh my god. You're awake." He went forward to hug her, but before he could touch her, she cringed away from him. Derek backed up and looked down.

Casey saw how hurt he looked and suddenly felt bad. "I'm sorry, it's just that, it's hard. What with Max-." She stopped and looked around quickly. "Max! What happened? Where is he?" At the mention of his name, Derek's hurt expression immediatly turned into a scowl.

"If I had any say, he would be six feet under." Derek muttered.

"What? No!"

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><p><strong>:) R&amp;R please and thank you!<strong>


	4. Hospitals

**:) **

**Disclaimer: I still don't own LWD :(**

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><p>"What? No!"<p>

Derek looked at her as if she was crazy.

"You didn't do anything to him, did you?" Casey asked, panicking.

"What does it matter? You're not seriously worried about him, are you? Don't you remember what he did to you last night? Case, he put you in the hospital." Derek told her, his rage starting to rise.

Casey looked at him, not knowing how to respond to his rant. "Derek, of course I remember. I just don;t want you to get in trouble for doing something to him." She explained, taking his hand.

Derek sighed. "I didn't do anything, except punch him up a bit." He shrugged. "But he is going to be locked up very soon, after the cops take you stateme-"

"Derek, promise me that you wont do anything."

Derek looked at her. "Why are you so worried about what happens to him?"

"I'm not," She looked down. "I'm worried about you." She whispered. "I don't want you to get hurt."

Derek sighed again as he stroked her hand. "You don't have to worry about me. You need to be thinking of yourself."

"Derek, please promise me." She pleaded.

He looked her in the eye. "I promise." He said, giving her hand a gentle squeeze.

"Good." Casey sighed. "What time is it? How long was asleep?"

Derek looked at his watch. "It's uhh- 4 am. You were asleep for about six hours."

"Oh." She looked down. "What exactly did he do to me? Did he...? You know." She looked so small and vulnerable that it broke Derek's heart.

"No, I walked in just as you passed out." He whispered. "I would have killed him if he did."

Casey sighed. "Thank you Derek. You basically saved me."

Derek gave her a small smile. Then he looked at her intently. "Casey, can I ask you a question?"

"Of course."

"How long has this been going on?" He asked.

"How long has what been going on?"

"Casey. You know what I'm talking about. I saw the bruises, and they aren't new. How long has he been beating you?"

Casey cringed. She looked down and whispered. "About 3 months."

"Jesus." Derek whispered. He ran his hands through his hair and got up. He started pacing around the room. "How could this be happening? I should have seen this before. I should have known that he was capable of something like this"

"Derek calm down. I'm fine." Casey said.

"You call this fine?" He gestured around the room. "You're in a fucking hospital bed Casey."

"Derek, why do you care so much? Why are you so upset by this?" Casey asked him.

Derek stopped pacing and looked at her. "Why not? You're my ste-, uhh, just because we don't always get along, doesn't mean that I don't care about you."

She looked at him curiously, clearly unconvinced. Before she could respond, Nora and George came in.

"Oh Casey!. Thank goodness you're awake." Nora exclaimed as she hugged her daughter.

"Uhh, hey mom, George. What are you guys doing here?"

"Derek called us as soon as he brought you here. We just went to the cafeteria to get some coffee." George explained. "How are you feeling?"

"My head is still pounding a bit and my side hurts when I try to move, but other than that, not bad."

Nora stroked Casey's hair. "Oh sweetie, we were so worried! I still can't believe that this happened." She shook her head.

"Don't worry Casey," George said. "Max will pay for this."

Casey looked at Derek then back at George. "Uhh can we not talk about this now? Please?"

"Sure sweetie." Nora said.

"Thanks. Umm, you don't all have to stay with me." Casey told them.

"You know Casey, you're right. Georgie, why don't you and Derek go home and then come back later?" Nora said. "I'll stay here."

"No!" Casey exclaimed. Everyone looked at her, confused. She looked at Derek and whispered, "Please don't leave me."

Derek nodded and squeezed her hand. "I wasn't going to." He promised. He looked at his dad and Nora. "I'm not leaving her."

"Casey, are you sure?" George asked.

"George, Derek is the one who saved me, I need him here." Casey looked at her mom. "I'm sorry mom."

"Oh Casey, it's fine. I just want you to feel comfortable and safe." Nora assured her daughter. After giving Casey a hug, she and George left.

"Thank you. For staying with me." Casey said.

Derek didn't say anything, he just kissed her forehead. He then realized what he did and looked away. "I um, I'm gonna go get the nurse. She told me to get her when you woke up." With that, he left.

Casey stared after him, confused. "What?" Before Casey could get over the shock and confusion of what just happened, Derek was back with the nurse.

Casey felt strangely relieved that the nurse was a 50 year old woman instead of some 26 year old bimbo that Derek would no doubt flirt with shamelessly.

"Well hello Casey. How are we doing today?" The nurse asked in a pleasant voice.

"I'm fine, uhh," Casey looked down at her Identification. "Nurse Suzie."

"Oh I'm glad to hear it. Now don't try to move too much. One of your ribs is broken."

"Oh well that explains the pain. Umm when will I be able to go home?" Casey asked.

"We would like to keep you here for a few more hours, but you should be able to get out of here no later than tomorrow evening, if not earlier." Nurse Suzie looked at Derek and then back at Casey. "You know your boyfriend here was so worried about you, I thought we would have to give him something to relax!" She laughed. "He must love you a whole lot." Before either of them could correct her, she left.

Derek and Casey looked at each other awkwardly.

"Anyway."

"Yeah."

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><p><strong>Not too happy with it. But I hope you anjoyed it.<strong>

**R&R please :)**


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